Coconut Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)
Creamy, comforting, and dangerously addictive. One pot, coconut-rich, and guaranteed to leave everyone asking for seconds (and the recipe!). Will you be next?
Ingredients
- Vegetable Oil (for frying) neutral tasting oil
Chicken Marinade
- 1.2 kg Chicken Breast/Boneless Chicken Thighs cut into bite size chunks
- ½ batch Garlic & Ginger Paste see notes
- 2 tbsp Greek Yoghurt 10% Fats
- 2 tsp Smoked Paprika Powder
- 1 tsp Ground Turmeric
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin
- 2 tsp Ground Coriander
- 1-4 tsp Chili Powder depending on heat preference
- 10 ml Lemon Juice
Coconut Butter Curry Base
- 1 Dried Bay Leaf
- 1 stick Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 large Brown Onion diced
- ½ batch Garlic & Ginger Paste see notes
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin
- 2 tsp Ground Coriander
- 1½ tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 550 ml Canned Tomato Pulp
- 300 ml Coconut Milk
- 90 g Pecans/Almonds
- 170 ml Water
Garnish
- 15 g Fresh Coriander/Cilantro finely chopped
- 2 tsp Garam Masala
Instructions
- Add ½ of the ginger and garlic paste (reserve the other ½ for the coconut butter curry base), greek yogurt, smoked paprika powder, ground turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, chili powder, and lemon juice. Mix everything together until evenly combined, and set aside for at least 30 minutes to marinate or even overnight to allow the chicken chunks to absorb the flavors more.
- Next, blend the pecans/almonds with 170 ml of water using an immersion or regular blender until smooth and creamy.
- Add vegetable oil to pan and heat over medium high. Fry the chicken in batches until it has some char on it, then set it aside.
- Using the same pan (add more vegetable oil if not enough), add dried the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and cumin seeds. Sauté for 20 seconds over medium heat.
- Add the diced onions and sauté until light brown. Then, add the ginger and garlic paste and ground cumin, ground coriander, garam masala and continue to sauté for 10–20 seconds.
- Lower the heat to medium low and add the tomato paste. Sauté for about 20 seconds, then add the canned tomato pulp, coconut milk and pecan/almond cream. Mix everything and well and allow it cook until it comes to gentle boil, do stir occasionally to prevent the bottom of the pan getting burned. If the curry is too thick, add about 100 ml of water and mix well.
- Add the cooked chicken and let everything cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Lastly, optionally, garnish with finely chopped fresh cilantro/coriander leaves and a sprinkle of garam masala. Serve with a side of rice, naan, or chapati.
Notes
GINGER & GARLIC PASTE
For the ginger and garlic paste, you will need 30 grams of peeled ginger and four garlic cloves. Blend them together with a little water (about 20–30 ml) to help with blending, or pound them (without water) into a paste using a mortar and pestle. For this Coconut Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani) recipe, you only need the whole batch (1/2 for the chicken marinade and 1/2 for the coconut butter curry base).
STORAGE
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stove over low heat until it comes to boil, adding a splash of water or coconut milk if the sauce has thickened.